Quick and Delish Cauliflower with Lemon Caper Butter. Don't know what to do with that cauliflower sitting in the fridge? How about steaming it and tossing it in lemon and further more, adding capers? This is a side dish that packs some wonderful flavor and texture!
Cauliflower has come a long way since the days of seeing it on a plate lifeless and lacking creativity. I love this vegetable, it really takes on lovely flavor with whatever you put with it. More so, its sweet earthiness is a perfect accompaniment to lemon, butter, capers, and some heat from chili flakes, giving our taste buds something to talk about. Looking for a side dish? Give this one a try!
Capers?
To tell you the truth the only thing I knew about capers years ago was that someone put it in grilled cheese to make it more gourmet. I always thought it was something that came from the sea. However I later found out that it grows on a bush and is similar to a berry.
You can usually find it in the condiment and pickle area of your grocery store. Some are packed in a jar with brine, while others and preserved in coarse sea salt. The flavor is hard to describe, perhaps floral with an edge of acidity.
If you have never tried them I highly recommend it and today I am going to show you how to use them in this side dish Quick and Delish Cauliflower with Lemon Caper Butter!
A great side dish with few ingredients
This dish has not many ingredients. For the spices:
- Salt
- pepper
- paprika
To kick it up some:
- butter
- capers
- Kalamata olives
- lemon juice
Garnishing:
- fresh chopped parsley
Quick and Delish Cauliflower
This recipe takes 15 minutes or less to prepare. The cauliflower goes into a pot of boiling water or steamer till fork tender. While that is happening we can make the caper butter sauce. Firstly we toss butter, capers, olives, chili flakes, and a nice squeeze of lemon juice. Secondly turn on the heat and get those ingredients acquainted to develop our sauce.
The next step
The cauliflower is beautifully fork tender. It is important to not overcook this vegetable, because it will turn into a mash and we will loose that texture we are looking for in this dish. Time to take the cauliflower out of the pot to drain. If you are using a steamer there will always be some moisture so let it drain. We don't want that water in the sauce it will dilute the flavor. Into the pan with the butter sauce it goes and a gentle stir.
Finishing this time savvy and flavorful cauliflower dish
At this stage we need to season with salt and pepper. Furthermore, a sprinkling of chopped parsley for color and added flavor.
There you have it Quick and Delish Cauliflower with Lemon Caper Butter ready to be plated.
Love the flavors and textures!
Don't you just love when you bite into cauliflower and it has a slight bite to it? However, the beautiful part is how it melts in your mouth releasing all those luscious flavors.
We have this wonderful acidity from the capers and olives, and bright notes from the lemon. I love how there is a subtle heat coming from the dried red chili, more so, added pepper from parsley. The really great thing is how the sweetness and earthiness of the cauliflower really balance this symphony of flavor and texture out.
Next time
On your next shopping trip for groceries, grab that cauliflower that is calling out to you. This vegetable is wonderful. It stores well in the fridge, and has some great health benefits! You can eat it raw, in soups, in an Indian-inspired dish, with pasta. Furthermore, it is so good in this Quick and Delish Cauliflower with Lemon Caper Butter. Serve it as your side dish tonight!
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Quick and Delish Cauliflower with Lemon Caper Butter
Quick and Delish Cauliflower with Lemon Caper Butter. Don't know what to do with that cauliflower sitting in the fridge? How about steaming it and tossing it in lemon and furthermore, adding capers, and olives? This is a side dish that packs some wonderful flavor and texture!
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 25 minutes 1x
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower cut into florets and washed
- 2 Tbsps butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 3 Tbsps capers
- 8 Kalamata olives pitted and halved
- Juice of half of a lemon
- Pinch of red chili flakes
- Pinch of salt, pepper, and paprika
- 1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
Cauliflower:
- Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Toss in cauliflower and cook for about 10 minutes or until fork tender. If using a steamer it may take longer.
The sauce:
- In a sauté pan throw in the butter, capers, olives, garlic, and chili flakes. Turn heat to a medium and melt butter stirring to incorporate all the ingredients. Turn off heat.
Finishing touches:
- Drain the cauliflower and place it in the pan with the butter sauce. Season with salt, pepper and paprika and gently toss. Taste again for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, and serve.
Notes
You can use a vegetable steamer to cook the cauliflower. It may take a bit longer to get it to the texture you want.
You could substitute the Kalamata olives with anchovies to get the same umami. Give it a try!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: side dishes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: cauliflower, evo oil, garlic, side dish, Mediterranean cuisine, capers, Kalamata olives, vegetarian, lemon,
When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment.
Marta says
I love the tart and briniess, especially with the mellow flavor of cauliflower.
★★★★★
Thank you Marta. Yes the capers, olives, and lemon juice sure give some bright notes to the cauliflower. Its a great match.
Have a great day!
Cheers!
Amanda Dixon says
I love making cauliflower, but sometimes I can get into a rut. This was such a great new take! The lemon butter added such a decadent touch, and I just loved the flavor of the capers. Delicious!
★★★★★
Thanks Amanda, So happy that you gave this a try. It is such a wonderful dish, bright flavors and you are so right about the lemon butter and capers, delicious!
Happy cooking!
HEATHER PERINE says
Delicious! And loved the flavors going in here. I love lemon and capers and it was wonderful paired with the cauliflower!
★★★★★
Thank you so much Heather. All good Mediterranean flavors that just compliment the cauliflower SO MUCH. really ENJOYED THIS SIDE!
cHEERS!
Beth says
Olives and capers would be perfect to wake up the mild flavor of the cauliflower, I love everything about this combination.
★★★★★
Thank you so much. It was a fantastic side dish. You are so right about the olive and capers!
Cheers!
Kathryn says
This made such a delicious side dish! Love new recipes with cauliflower and the capers and olives made this perfect! Thank you!
★★★★★
You are very welcome Kathryn, so happy you enjoyed it with those capers and olives. Such bright vibrant flavors.
Happy cooking!
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
Oh wow I am so loving this! I have a huge lemon tree that is producing more lemons than I can keep up. This recipe is perfect and so simple! I love the addition of the capers too!
★★★★★
Wow Lori, very lucky to have a lemon tree at your disposal! I can see some limoncello in your future! lol. But for now this recipe is perfect with your lemons!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Leslie says
I seriously LOVE how versatile cauliflower is! And thank goodness for recipes like this to show us all the amazing ways to enjoy this vegetable! Great recipe!
★★★★★
Thank you Leslie, always trying to help those underrated veggies come to the top ranks, and this cauliflower dish definitely did that!
Cheers!
Jacqueline Debono says
This cauliflower dish is a little similar to how my Sicilian hubby makes cauliflower or broccoli. He adds capers, olives, garlic and red chili, but no butter. Definitely a touch of Southern Italy in this! I love lemon butter and capers together. On my to make list!
★★★★★
Thanks Jaqueline, yes it for sure had some southern Italian influences. The food of that region is so simple fresh and very tasty. I think this dish would make the bar! Substituting olive oil for the butter.
Have a wonderful happy cooking week!
Cheers!
Tammy says
The lemon and caper butter sauce really makes this dish! Sometimes a simple cauliflower toss is all you really need. Looks and sounds so good!
★★★★★
Thanks Tammy, yes I could eat this dish on its own for lunch or dinner. It is one of those things you can't stop eating! lol.
Have a great cooking week!
Cheers!
FOODHEAL says
Capers make the plain steamed cauliflower bold with flavor. I love this quick healthy side dish.
Thank you and you are so right, the capers, olives and seasoning sure spike up the flavors to no end!
Cheers!